In my mid-twenties I decided, after about 5 years of putting it off, that it was time for a dental check up. And even though it had been so long since I had been sitting in that uncomfortable room, I was told that my teeth were near perfect. The thing about these moments—where you think you're "special"—is that they can go to your head.

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For example, on my first visit to a horse race I won $270. I thought I was ‘special' in the way that I knew how to pick winning horses. I wasn't; every cent of that $270 was lost when I went back the following week.

But I digress. This is about teeth—no wait, it's about more than that; this is about habit and remembering. After all, a habit is simply remembering to do something based on a thought or experience.

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Just recently I decided that I would give myself another dental check up. I seemed to have forgotten my horse racing lesson because I was expecting to have perfect teeth, again. I didn't. I was given a bill that would be the equivalent of buying a decent used car. Ugh. Could I have prevented this? Yes, I could have. If only I had been flossing my teeth two times a day, I would have had less problems.

I'll admit, my teeth are in very good condition when I compare them to other peoples' teeth. But that doesn't mean that they will always be that way, right? Just because you are in a position where you are "ahead," it doesn't mean that it will always be that way. Similar to how numero uno has only one way to travel—downwards, number two has options—forward or back. Perhaps that is why some people never try to be the best; people might subconsciously like the option of being number one, but don't want to be in the position to have to defend it. Or maybe, being number one or the best makes you lazy.

Not flossing my teeth twice a day was, I admit, due to laziness. I thought I was okay, everything would be okay, and nothing wrong would ever happen. There is a lesson in all of this; and it will vary from individual to individual, but the overarching take away is this: floss your teeth. Defend your status. As you acquire more, or you are born with more, you are that way because others before you helped. It takes responsibility, and work, to maintain or grow. Some people might think that the way to keeping your teeth looking good is to knock out everyone elses' teeth, or take away their dental insurance so their teeth go bad.

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That is not the way to go. Floss your teeth two times a day. Your dentist and your gums will thank you.

Raymond Duke lives in Carson, California. Here are just some of the things that keep him busy: finishing up a semester as an Interpersonal and Organizational Communication major, working two part time jobs—as a Casual Longshoreman (loading and unloading ships at the port) and entry level Recruiter (helping people find a job), and doing all he can to meet new people. Meeting new people is actually the subject of an eBook he is working on.